2ND LEAD

Indian PM rejects TN State assembly resolution for economic sanctions on SL

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 August 2011, 06:04 GMT]
Rejecting the resolution of the Tamil Nadu State assembly, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday has said that India “cannot afford to restrict economic links with neighbouring Sri Lanka”, a move widely seen as giving a moral and diplomatic strength to the hawkish Rajapaksa government, which is under international pressure over wide-spread war crime allegations. According to the Delhi-based Hindustan Times report, the Indian Prime Minister has made his government’s policy with regard to Sri Lanka and to Eezham Tamils when he was met by the General Secreatry of Marumalarchi Dravida Munetra Kazhakam (MDMK) Vaiko on Tuesday.

According to media reports, the Indian PM Manmohan Singh has pointed out that any such move to impose an economic sanction on the island nation “would only encourage China to displace India as a strategic and trading partner of Sri Lanka”

In response, Vaiko, who met the PM in Parliament House, said he told Singh that “in any case, China is already aiding the Sri Lanka naval forces to attack Indian fishermen and is more of an ally of Pakistan than India”.

Vaiko’s meeting with the Indian PM took place a day after Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha announced a monthly dole of R1,000 to 5,544 Eezham Tamils living in refugee camps in the state.

Vaiko urged the Indian government to openly voice for international legal action against the Sri Lankan State for the genocide committed on Eezham Tamils, to call for the withdrawal of the Sinhala forces occupying the Tamil homeland, to cease the Sinhala colonisation there and to cancel the economic and trade pacts New Delhi had entered with Colombo.

On June 8, the Tamil Nadu State Assembly passed a resolution requesting the Indian government to indict Sri Lanka for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the UN, and to work along with world countries to impose economic sanctions on Sri Lanka until Tamils in the island get equal rights.

The resolution accused Sri Lanka on five counts based on the UN panel report. The DMK was absent at that time as it was boycotting the house on some other issue. The resolution was passed when more than two third were present in the house.

The following were the counts on which the resolution was made: failure of Sri Lanka in constitutionally resolving the righteous demands of Tamils since independence; working for complete extermination of Tamils in the island; mass killings of innocent Tamils, other atrocities and failure in humanitarian action during the war; continued human rights abuses after the war and human rights abuses on media persons and others outside of the war zone.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha also came out with almost similar views while making her first public speech after her unprecedented victory to the 14th Assembly in May this year.

Vaiko said in a statement that he also took up with PM the case of death row convict Perarivalan in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, saying it could be considered on the lines of another convict, Nalini, whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

Perarivalan has already spent 20 years in prison, Vaiko said. The Indian PM has agreed to ask the home ministry to look into the case.

Vaiko also met home minister P Chidambaram.

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